1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a parking gear assembly for locking an all terrain vehicle (ATV) in a park position.
2. Description of Related Art
Typically, an ATV includes front wheels and rear wheels suspended on a front end and on a rear end, respectively, of a body frame. Handlebars and a seat are mounted on the frame. A power unit such as an engine is also mounted on the frame and generates the power required to propel the ATV. A transmission is provided to transfer the power generated by the engine to the front wheels, the rear wheels or both the front and rear wheels to drive the ATV. Typically, the ATV operator moves the transmission to a neutral or geared position when the ATV is not in use. This can be dangerous as the ATV may move if parked on a hill, for example. There is no structure to prevent the output shaft of the engine from rotating. Accordingly, there exists a need to provide an ATV with a parking gear assembly to prevent movement of the output shaft of the engine and hence movement of the ATV when stopped.
Bombardier's TRAXTER® ATV includes a parking gear that is mounted on the output shaft. See U.S. Pat. No. 6,296,073, incorporated herein by reference. A need has developed in the art to provide a parking gear that is less expensive, yet just as reliable as the parking gear for the TRAXTER®.